"Yeah. I think so," I said. "Rio, it was a pleasure cooking with you," I held my hand out to him. He surprised me by taking it and kissing it.
"Now, let's go to Campiaa and sort some of this out, I hope," Kevis sighed. Somebody folded us to the plantation.
"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Tory blew a cloud of smoke-filled frustration.
"Torevik, Reah was attacked recently. That included a vicious bite. Tell me how you claimed her the first time?"
Tory cursed. We were in the reptanoids' large family room, where there was enough comfortable seating for everyone. I still wore Edward's shirt and now sat squeezed between him and Teeg. I was cold and humanoid again. Edward gripped the fingers of my right hand in his, while Teeg held the left.
"She should know I wouldn't hurt her. Not like that," Tory fumed, pacing about the room. Everybody was there, including Farzi, Nenzi, Lok, Aurelius, Lendill, Nefrigar and Ry. Astralan had also come.
"She may know that logically, but not emotionally," Kevis said. "After all, you walked away from her when she needed you. How is that not harm? I realize you have your own trauma to deal with, and she knows that as well unless I badly miss my guess. The question comes down to this—do you still love one another? And if you do, what kind of commitment are you willing to make?"
"Dad always said she was just a quarter," Tory sat down hard next to Aurelius. "He always said he wasn't sure how our children would turn out since I was half."
I was standing and infuriated in seconds. I wanted to weep. I wanted to hit Torevik Rath. And then hit his father. They were looking down on me because I was only a quarter High Demon? I held every one of a High Demon's gifts and abilities, including some that none of the others possessed. Yet Gardevik wanted to split hairs.
"That's what this is about, isn't it?" I shouted. "The race isn't pure any longer. Fuck you, Torevik Rath. And f**k your father, for handing prejudice to his son. We're done. Get out. I never want to see you again. Get out!" When he didn't move, I was the one who skipped away.
* * *
"Nice work, bro." Ry stared at Tory. "And why haven't we heard any of this before? Is your father crazy? Reah keeps the race from dying, and he lets his prejudice show? Nefrigar, do you know where Reah is?"
"I do. She is fine but very upset at the moment," Nefrigar admitted.
Kifirin appeared with a sigh and a slight curling of smoke from his nostrils. "This is why I told Lendevik that his daughter must go to Jaydevik, Pendevik Rath's third son, instead of Gardevik, his firstborn." Kifirin stated. "Jayd had tolerance, while Garde had very little. I hoped that Garde would develop something of what he needed when he recognized Lissa as his mate, but that did not help Reah, did it?"
"You mean Dad might have been King, instead of Uncle Jayd?" Tory gave Kifirin a confused look.
"Yes. Your father would have been King if he'd been flexible and empathetic. He is neither. How long were you going to hold that secret inside? Reah was troubled from the beginning when you claimed her as you did and then never offered to make the marriage vows. Yet you couldn't wait to rush away and marry a full humanoid, at the first hint of an imaginary slight. I will give Reah time to come to a decision, but if she asks after that, I will remove your claiming marks."
"Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut? Why?" Tory buried his face in his hands.
* * *
"How much of a chance will your son have of getting a High Demon mate if Reah turns him away?" Lissa fumed. "There are no other High Demon women available—who aren't his daughters, that is. They're already promised to others, too—you and your brother saw to that," the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis went on. "Garde, I never thought you to be so prejudiced. Are you that narrow-minded? Or is it just Reah that you're targeting? If so, I'd sure as hell like to know why."
Garde knew Lissa was furious, and his relationship with her was likely hanging by a thread. "I always wondered why Lendevik chose Jayd over me," he sighed. "Now I know."
"I send a gift to you and your race and you belittle it," the one who'd identified himself as Kifirin's parent appeared in a burst of light. "You stand to cheat your son out of the High Demon female meant for him. What else will you do to destroy your kind, Gardevik Rath?" The god disappeared quickly.
"Is that what you've done, Garde? Worked to destroy the High Demons?" Lissa folded away.
* * *
"Brother, I must resign my position. It seems I have to take time and examine my priorities," Garde appeared in Jayd's study.
"Why is that?" Jayd frowned at his oldest brother.
"My son repeated my words to Reah, and she no longer wants him for a mate," Garde sighed. "And he did not misrepresent or misinterpret anything. I belittled Reah for being only a quarter High Demon. Worried over how their children might turn out, since my son is only half-blood. I was just chastised by Kifirin's father, for misusing the gift he gave to us."
"What gift?" Jayd was worried.
"Reah, apparently. And when it looked as if my granddaughters would be all right and suitable for High Demon mates, I gathered them away as quickly as I could."
"And handed them to Glinda and me," Jayd nodded. "I should have known something was off, but we failed to question. We thought the gift had been given to us."
"The gift was given to you, and you snatched it away, never thinking to share. I hope you will recognize that sort of thing in the future, King Jayd." Kifirin appeared from nowhere.
"I have learned my lesson, High Lord," Jayd bowed respectfully.
"At least some still know to bow to me," Kifirin said and disappeared.
"I do not accept your resignation, brother," Jayd said. "Although I will accept the fact that you need to reflect upon your views of our race. Come to terms with this. I hope Reah does not turn your child away. All her children with him are females. I still hold hope that we will have more."
"I will go check the gishi fruit groves, then," Garde sighed. "I hear things are not going well."
"They need more money to operate, or so they say, and the new manager says we have to spray for insects. He does not know how Reah managed to keep them away."
"I will look into it," Garde nodded before skipping away.
* * *
Reah, where are you? This is scaring me. The mindspeech came from Edward. I was on Thiskil (again) when he contacted me. On the Southern Continent, this time, where a warmer ocean washed up on the beaches. Bits of old shells still littered the sands, but no new ones had come ashore for a very long time. Everything had died when Zellar drained the core.